Chapter 24

The household was in total chaos. Natalie and Just Jan had been released from the hospital after a visit to their rooms by Kelly. The four bodyguards, Ling, Kelly, Lucy, and Just Jan were at the house with Ken, Lisa, and Tim. William was nowhere to be found and no one had a clue as to his location.

Allowing herself to act like a mother, Kelly paced around the living room with an expression of worry on her face. Although Kelly was worried, Ling was not. In fact, she was furious. Growling at everyone she saw, she would occasionally stop her prowling to announce to anyone who would listen, "I'm going to kill him."

The bodyguards were doing their best to stay out of Ling's way while dealing with a minor crisis of their own. Natalie was coming to grips with how she had been healed. Coming out of a coma to find a woman between her legs had been traumatic, but nowhere as traumatic as the orgasm Kelly had triggered. Nicole kept trying to explain to Natalie that it didn't represent a desire on her part, but the young woman was firmly convinced that she had turned into a lesbian. Colt and Rock stayed out of the conversation on general principles, fully aware that anything they said would be misinterpreted.

Just Jan was uncomfortable being in the house. She felt that she was ruining the furniture just by sitting on it. She kept looking at the front door wanting to run away. The only thing that kept her in her seat was that Lucy was holding her hand. Lucy was searching for some way to let the bag lady know how much she appreciated the old woman's help.

Lisa was attempting to play hostess, but she had run out of guestrooms in which to put people. After offering coffee to everyone and finding no takers, she retreated to the kitchen. It was the one room in which she felt comfortable chasing out anyone who visited, even if that person was Ling. Ken was trying to keep Tim from stirring up more trouble. Tim was sure that something neat was going on, he just had to find out what it was.

For the second time in less than ten days, the ringing of the doorbell rang surprised Ken. After looking at the bodyguards, he went over to answer it. Opening the door, he found Cole frowning and stroking his medallion. Without saying a word, the green robed Druid strode into the room and came to a halt with his feet shoulder wide and his hands one his hips. All eyes were drawn to the powerful appearance he presented.

Spotting Natalie, he turned to face her and said, "Your orgasm was not the result of a woman touching you. It was a result of the Goddess letting you know that you had been fully healed. Get over it. Go make love to your man and remember what it means to be a woman."

Turning to face Just Jan, he said, "Stand up and face me."

Unable to stop herself, Just Jan rose and said, "Yes, sir."

"For two decades you have been homeless. Now you have a home. Stay with Lucy as a companion and friend. You have a great need for her. She has a greater need for you."

"Yes, sir."

"Go with her to the pond, wash, and then return a new woman. She will take you to get new clothes. Your old life is over."

Wide eyed, Just Jan staggered back as if punched. She looked to Lucy, but Lucy was staring at the Druid as he stepped in front of her. Looking down at her, he said, "Lucy, you have accepted responsibility for this woman. It is time for you to act responsibly."

Lucy nodded, stood up from the couch, and took Just Jan by the hand. Following his instructions, she led the bag lady out the back door pausing only long enough to pick up two towels. Just Jan allowed herself to be led by the younger woman. It seemed that with each step, the past dropped from her and her spirit grew lighter.

The Druid watched the pair leave the house before turning to face Ling. His presence seemed to get even larger. Shaking his head, he said, "Relax. Trust his prescience. He knows far more than any of us."

Ling nodded feeling the power of the man. She knew that power, having felt exactly the same thing when John Carter or Ed Biggers would make a pronouncement from the Gods and Goddesses they served. It would be a stretch of the imagination to say that she actually relaxed, but she did stop her pacing and take a seat.

Walking past a stunned Ken, Cole went to the kitchen. Sticking his head through the door, he said, "Lisa?"

She looked at him wondering what words he would want to share with her. Awed by what she had heard from the living room, she asked, "What?"

"Could I please get a cup of coffee from you? I really need one," he answered as his hand dropped away from the medallion he had been holding.

"Sure." Pleased that someone wanted a cup of coffee from the pot she had brewed, she filled a cup and handed it to him. Smiling, she asked, "Cream or sugar?"

Taking a deep whiff of the coffee, he smiled back at her with just enough of his smile visible over the rim of the cup for her to see. He answered, "Thank you very much. Black is fine."

When he returned to the living room, a smiling Kelly asked, "What? You have nothing to tell me?"

"You're a Druid. You wouldn't listen to me anyway," he answered with a laugh. His laugh provoked a similar laugh from Kelly.

Sitting down, he looked over at Nicole and Rock. They looked as exhausted as he felt. In a soft voice, he asked, "Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

Surprised, Nicole looked over at Rock and answered, "I guess."

The pair left the living room to get as much sleep as possible before their shift started. Cole sat back and took a sip of his coffee. Upon swallowing, he hummed in contentment and said, "This is perfect."

Ling, having been briefed on the presence of the Druid, asked, "So how is the neighbor girl?"

"Better. She's eating with a reasonable appetite. After my coffee, I'll go back over there to work with her some more," Cole answered. His hand went to his medallion and stroked it. It had brought him over to the house.

Curious, Kelly asked, "How long have you been working with her?"

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday."

"Ten days, I guess," answered the Druid realizing that he'd lost track of time. He took another sip of his coffee, savoring the taste. He sighed at the thought of trying to make up more than a month of school work and said, "We need a Druid who can deal with this specific kind of problem. William was more correct than he probably knew when he said there was nothing he could do to help her. She is almost beyond my ability to help."

Nodding her understanding, Kelly said, "All gifts have limitations."

"Lisa makes a great cup of coffee. That's a gift every servant of the Gods and Goddesses should envy. Consider just how much pleasure a cup of coffee, served in the right circumstances, can provide," Cole said. Looking over at Ken, he said, "You're a lucky man."

Surprised at the attention and how good it made him feel, Ken said, "You're good. You're really good."

"What?"

"You come in here and made everyone feel better. I feel ten feet tall right now."

Laughing, Cole shook his head and said, "It was just an honest observation."

The blond haired woman ran down the dark street looking over her shoulder. The past two hours had been the worst of her life. She'd been heading to a local bar to talk to a man about taking care of Lucy when the kid had appeared. Since then, she hadn't been able to get rid of him. No matter where she went, he was there tapping her on the shoulder and looking at her with eyes that seemed to see deep inside her. She had tried to hit him, but she couldn't touch him.

At the corner, she stopped to catch her breath and looked around. A hand touched her on the shoulder. She spun around to find him looking at her through narrowed eyes. Impossible as it was to believe, he wasn't even breathing hard. She screamed, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You tried to harm my fiancée," he answered without anger or malice in his voice.

The woman ran off into the dark without waiting for his answer. William watched her go. He reached down to the length of leather hanging from his belt and tied another knot in it. There were now a dozen knots tied along its length. He sprinted off in a different direction from the one taken by the woman. On reaching a corner two blocks away, he stopped and stepped into the shadows.

Missy ran, taking random turns hoping to lose him. She ran for a couple of blocks and then turned back. Side aching from the effort of running for such a long time, she stopped to catch her breath. She didn't understand how the kid was doing it. She'd run from place to place and each time he was there. She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Turning to face him, she shouted, "Leave me alone!"

"You know where the police are. They are waiting for you. All you have to do is turn yourself in," answered William staring into her cold blue eyes.

"Never! I'm not going to jail because of that bitch!"

"You can't get away," William said. He pointed in the direction of the main entrance of the university. In a soft voice, he said, "They're waiting for you down there."

The woman ran off in terror with no real destination in mind. She couldn't return to her dorm since a cop was camped on her doorstep. She couldn't leave through the main door since a police car was parked there. The other exits were blocked by homeless men who wouldn't let her pass. She couldn't even scream for help as that would bring the campus police and they would arrest her. All she wanted was a chance to rest so that she could come up with a plan.

William tied another knot in the leather strip while shaking his head. He took off towards the student center knowing that she would end up going there. He'd have ten minutes to reach the building. He could take his time, but she'd run almost the entire way via a circuitous route intended to lose him. She hadn't figured out that he didn't need to follow her to know where she was going.

Ten minutes later, William stepped out of a men's room and tapped her on the shoulder right after she had passed it. She spun and glared at him. Her anger overcame her terror for a moment. Furious, she asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You tried to harm my fiancée."

"Bastard, leave me alone."

William shook his head and answered, "I can't do that. I have to stop you. You had plans to hire someone else tonight. I can't allow you to do that."

"That goody-two-shoes! Bah! She deserves to die," screeched Missy unable to believe that he had known what she was going to do. The handful of students engaged in a late night conversation in the student center turned to look at her.

"If you turn yourself in, the police will help you," William said pointing to the main entrance.

With her fear so thick that she could taste it in her throat, Missy ran away. In her mental fog all she wanted was to find some place where she could be alone and think. William tied another knot in the leather strip. Shaking his head, he said, "Only four more to go and then she'll turn herself over to the police."

He moved towards the football practice field. She would try to climb the fence there to get off campus. If he wasn't such a good guy he'd let her, but he knew she'd get hurt if she actually made the attempt to climb it. He settled down by one of the bushes to wait for her to arrive.

Fifteen minutes later, he spotted her creeping towards the fence in an attempt not to be seen. Her head darted from side to side as she sought a sign that the kid was there. She reached the fence and looked up at the arrow points atop the iron rods set into the rails. Swallowing at the thought of accidentally falling upon them, she had just moved to climb the fence when she felt the dreaded tap on the shoulder.

Tired of being chased around campus, she swung out to strike him. He was just out of reach of her hand. She threw herself at him intending to scratch out his eyes, but he wasn't there. Off- balanced, she fell to the ground. Looking up at him, she wondered if he was some sort of ghost. Terrified, she said, "Leave me alone."

"I can't do that," William answered. Pointing to the front gate, he said, "Turn yourself over to the police. They'll make sure that you get the psychological counseling you need."